


A Strange One

by Acting4Hope



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternative Universe- Chara's a ghost, Alternative Universe- Post-pacifist route, charafriskweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 22:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8030389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acting4Hope/pseuds/Acting4Hope
Summary: Frisk tries their hand at gardening. Unfortunately, they need a ghostly one assisting them before anything gets done.





	A Strange One

**Author's Note:**

> Another late prompt for @charafriskweek day 4: gardening!!! 
> 
> I would say more abt this sappy shit but i need a mid-afternoon nap right about now so im crashing peace yall

Frisk is a very outdoorsy person. When it comes to a preferred place to be, Frisk would rather be outside than in. They love going for long walks through the woods or just laying out under the sun. When Toriel asks if Frisk would like to accompany her on walks, Frisk gladly comes along. Even if it was pouring rain, Frisk would still want to be outside.  _ Especially  _ in the pouring rain. 

 

But, when Frisk was with Asgore, sometimes they wish they  _ could  _ be inside. Because Asgore’s common pastime is something that Frisk cannot entirely grasp, not even with the help of their ghostly companion. 

 

Gardening. 

 

\--- 

 

“ _ No no no! Do you  _ want  _ to uproot the whole damn thing?! Put it down. Just...put it down. Please, before you kill it. _ ” This shouting of negative phrases has been a constant matra playing in Frisk’s head on the sunny Saturday afternoon. Frisk sighs and puts the flower down, as they were told, and awaits further instruction. 

 

“ _ Okay, now we’re going to try this again. _ ” Chara instructs, hovering just beside Frisk to demonstrate the steps of moving a flower from the ground to a flower pot. Frisk had wanted to keep a plant at Toriel’s house so they could practice their gardening skills while Asgore was not around, and he wholeheartedly agreed. Today, Frisk was picking a bright, beautiful sunflower to take home. Chara said the choice in flower was “a little odd”, figuring Frisk already has a bright yellow flower in their room. Though, to be fair, this flower will say a lot less insults than the other. 

 

“ _ Pay attention to my hands, Frisk _ ,” Chara says. Frisk nods and watches attentively as Chara’s ghostly hands cup into the soil around the flower. “ _ Now, it’s kind of hard to show without being corporeal, but you’re gonna have to bear with me. See how I’m doing this? You  _ need  _ to be gentle. _ ” Frisk nods again, face set with determination, as they carefully place their hands into the soil. Chara is watching Frisk the whole way, their gaze making Frisk sweat. Frisk doesn’t like to be under this much pressure, especially with how adamant Chara seems to be about gardening. Frisk’s hands just got under the roots, when they feel a large hand on their shoulder. 

 

They squeak, throwing their hands up and chucking their sunflower a good forty feet. 

 

“Oh dear,” Asgore says, watching the flower plop onto a plot of tomatoes. Frisk spins around and sees it’s only Asgore, then they suddenly remember the flower they had. Frisk pouts, afraid to turn around and see what Chara looked like; Frisk had no doubt that they were frustrated, to say the least. Asgore was looking down at Frisk with both amusement and worry. “Are you having trouble with the plants, young one? Would you like me to help?” Frisk gives Asgore a big smile and brings their hands up to sign. 

 

“ _ No thanks, Dad, I can handle this _ !” Frisk assures. Asgore smiles, then goes to say something, but is interrupted by his phone ringing. 

 

“Oh! Excuse me, Frisk, this must be a business call.” Asgore excuses himself before walking back inside to speak with whoever was on the phone. 

 

A bead of sweat drips down Frisk’s forehead as they slowly turn around to the flower patch. Waiting, with their arms crossed, was Chara. 

 

“ _ Really… _ ” Chara says. Frisk lets out an embarrassed laugh before kneeling back in the dirt. 

 

“ _ I’m sorry I’m easily startled _ ,” Frisk replies, using their subconscious voice, or “mind voice” as Frisk calls it. “ _ Now, would you like to pick another sunflower? _ ” Chara rolls their eyes. 

 

“ _ No, I have a  _ better  _ idea. _ ” Chara states. 

 

\--- 

 

“ _ This isn’t a better idea, Chara _ .” Frisk notes with disdain, watching as they plot rows of green peppers. There’s a smirk on Frisk’s face, but they’re not the one causing it. 

 

“Come on, this is great!” Chara remarks, their voice hoarse from Frisk’s lack of use. “You get to sit and enjoy the outdoors, and I get to garden! This is the perfect trade-off!” Surprisingly enough, Frisk feels no panic or discomfort when Chara speaks verbally. They figure it’s because there’s a separation between body and mind, or some other science-y bullcrap explanation. 

 

“ _ It’s not the same like this _ ,” Frisk whines, floating circles around Chara. “ _ I feel the sun on me, but not  _ really _. And I feel the breeze on my skin, but not  _ really _. And I can smell the freshly-cut grass and soil, but not- _ ” 

 

“Yes, yes, I get it. But not  _ really _ .” Chara interrupts, mimicking Frisk’s tone of voice. “Well, sorry, bub, but I’m taking the reigns for a while. It isn’t often that I get control when it’s something I actually wanna do. Usually it’s just when you’re too emotionally unstable to handle existing.” Frisk wants to argue, but they know this to be true, so they just hush up. 

 

“And, besides, what’s a couple hours out of your body going to do-” Chara is interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind them. They freeze up almost instantly, hands stuck in the dirt. 

 

“Frisk? Were you just...talking?” Asgore asks, trepidation seeping into his tone. Chara quickly unsticks their hands from the dirt and thinks hard. 

 

“ _ Okay, I’m done, Frisk. You can go back in now! Yeah! Please! _ ” Chara says, trying to push Frisk back into their body. But Frisk would not budge, not now. Oh no, certainly not now. 

 

A smirk crept its way onto Frisk’s face, but on their real one and onto their ghostly one. “ _ Oh no, Chara. I  _ insist  _ you stay in~ _ ” Then, with one harsh push, Chara was back inside and Frisk was completely shut off from going back inside. 

 

Chara struggles to keep themself from screaming, but they knew that would only catch the attention of their father behind them. So, they slowly turned around and gave Asgore the biggest, most “Frisk-like” smile-and-thumbs-up combo. Asgore chuckles and kneels down beside Chara, placing a paw on their shoulder. 

 

“You are quite odd, aren’t you?” Asgore remarks, mainly to himself, in amusement. Chara smiles and turns their attention to the plot in front of them, trying their hardest not to scream or run away. Chara could usually deal with being around their “family”, but Asgore and Toriel always proved to be a sore spot. They just never knew what to say to them, after all that has happened. Not to mention, no one but Flowey knows Chara is even here and able to possess Frisk’s body, so it would be impossible for Chara to explain. Either way, if Chara could avoid Asgore and Toriel while being in Frisk, they did. 

 

“Would you like some help plotting, young one?” Asgore asks, startling Chara out of their thoughts. They quickly shake their head, struggling to remember the proper signs to respond with. From the back of Chara’s mind, a sigh could be heard, and Chara watched as their hands moved for them. 

 

“ _ No, I’m fine, thank you _ !” Frisk signs for Chara, and Asgore nods and gets back on his feet. 

 

“Well, I have to start dinner, so you are free to join me inside once you have finished out here.” Asgore says before walking back into the house. Frisk loses their hold on their body and goes back to drifting, meanwhile Chara quietly continues with their work. 

 

It takes nearly an hour before Chara is done plotting the row. Once they finish, they get up and walk to a sunnier part of the garden. Frisk watches curiously as Chara lays down in an open patch and basks in the sunlight. 

 

“ _ Uhhhh, what are you doing? _ ” Frisk asks, still watching as Chara simply lays in the grass. Chara hated being out in the sun too long, or at least they  _ used  _ to, back when they had their own body, and so this was a surprising act for them. Chara does not open an eye, but they beckon to Frisk with their hand to come sit with them. Frisk can’t really sit, but they still oblige and hover-lay right next to Chara. Though they were incorporeal, Frisk could still feel a slight warmth on their skin as the sun shone down on them. It made them smile. 

 

“Do you ever...wish I wasn’t here?” Chara asks after a while, their voice betraying the nonchalant attitude they were trying to convey. Frisk looks over at Chara and notices they are looking up, one hand outstretched towards the sky. “Like, I get that I can be annoying a lot, but would you miss me if I left? If I just floated away one day, would you wonder where I went? Would you cry?” Chara let their hand drop and land on their chest, heaving a heavy sigh after. 

 

Frisk frowns. “ _ Chara, I want you here. I want you to live out your life on the Surface with me and our family. Of course I would miss you if you left! Who else would I complain to all the time!? _ ” They send as many good vibes as possible to Chara, who receives them with a laugh. “ _ But, that being said, I wouldn’t stop you if you wanted to leave… _ ” This causes Chara to freeze. 

 

“What?” They ask, looking over at Frisk in confusion. Frisk looks downtrodden and is unable to meet Chara’s gaze. 

 

“ _ Look, I’m not saying I want you to leave, but...If you felt you served your time here on Earth enough...I wouldn’t stop you. I want you to be happy, Chara, and if that happiness means moving to the next life...Then there is no stopping you, is there? Even if there was a way, I wouldn’t want to find it. _ ” Frisk explains, their heart heavy even without it being with them. Chara looks at Frisk for a moment, trying to figure a way out of this conversation, until they realize they don’t need to. Frisk wants Chara to be happy, and if they want Chara happy, then they’re not going anywhere. 

 

“You know, Frisk…” Chara starts, looking back up towards the sky. The big white clouds billow by and a gentle breeze sweeps right through the two. “I think I’m not gonna be leaving for a long, long while…” Frisk smiles at this, nods, and lays down beside Chara, soaking up the sun for a while. 

 

\--- 

 

“Frisk, my child, dinner is ready! Where are you?” Asgore calls out into his garden, going through the next row of plants. Frisk has not come back in the house since this morning, and Asgore worries that something might have happened that he missed. “Frisk! Frisk, come out! You know I do not like random games!” Asgore is about to walk through another row when he spots Frisk, sprawled out on the ground like a starfish. Their eyes are peacefully shut, a smile on their lips, and one of their hands firmly grasped. Asgore gasps quietly before carefully making his way over. With one swift move, Frisk in in Asgore’s arms and being taken inside to properly rest on the couch. 

 

“Oh, you are a strange one,” Asgore remarks on his way through the back door. “A strange one, indeed.” 


End file.
